New York Knicks Rumors: Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns Draft Lottery Options With Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe Free Agent Targets?

The NY Knicks are coming into the offseason looking to get the top pick in the draft and names like Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell could be targets for Phil Jackson and this comes as Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol, Rajon Rondo and Goran Dragic are potential free agent options for the team to join Carmelo Anthony.

The Knicks broke things down this year to try and build things back up and now Phil Jackson has a tough task ahead of him. The team will have the chance to win the draft lottery and they likely will be satisfied with one of the top three picks. While the Knicks obviously want the top overall pick, the team should be able to get a strong player with the top three. According to Pro Basketball Talk, Jahlil Okafor of Duke and Karl-Anthony Towns from Kentucky are considered to be the best players in the draft.

Okafor came into the season as the presumptive number one pick and now those two players are considered to be the best options. The Knicks have scouted both and with Okafor having a so-so NCAA tournament, Towns could establish himself as the new top player overall. The Knicks also will focus on free agents this offseason and that should be very interesting, as the Lakers and Celtics also will be looking to spend money.

According to NBA.com, the Knicks are projected to have over $30 million in cap space and they plan on targeting a number of players in free agency. The NY Post reported during the season that Greg Monroe, Marc Gasol and Rajon Rondo on the market. Recently Pro Basketball Talk picked up on a report from The Sporting News‘ Sean Deveney that said while players like Rondo and Dragic are going to be targets, the team may look at younger players over those names.

Deveney writes that the team is hoping for a sustained run of success and that they could target players on the younger side of free agency over paying a ton for older veterans. The report suggests that Reggie Jackson, Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight could be targets over Rondo, Gasol or Dragic, but says that the team will look at all of their options. Jackson should be a main target for teams and he may stay in Detroit if the team offers him a large deal after acquiring him from the Thunder.

The Knicks have been terrible for a long time and with Anthony sitting down this season with knee issues, the team needs to turn things around fast. Adding free agents and a top prospect will help and Pro Basketball Talk reports some of the Knicks players from the roster this season may return. Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway both showed some skills, while Andrea Bargnani may also be a target to return.

According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the team will consider bringing back Bargnani if he signs for the veterans minimum next year. The Knicks gave up significant draft picks for Bargnani in the deal with the Raptors and eh has turned it on at the end of the season and that could lead to him getting re-signed.